Revolving amusement apparatus.



No. 793,236. PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905. M. L. SOHLUETER. REVOLVING AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27, 1904.

Witnesses- NITEn STATES Patented June 27, 1905.

MAX L. SCHLUETER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

REVOLVING AMUSEMENT APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,236, dated June 27, 1905.

Application filed July 27,1901. Serial No. 218,369.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LMAx L. SoiILUn'rnR, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Revolving Amusement Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an apparatus of the general class known as merry-go-rounds, to which I have given the name of the breakers.

It consists of a series of centrally-pivoted radial beams or trusses having seats of a suitable nature for passengers and a serpentine track over which the portion of the beams intermediate of the inner and outer ends are caused to travel, so as to rise and fall in opposition to each other, and a construction by which the oppositely-projecting carriers are approximately balanced upon a central kingpost during their revolution.

My invention also comprises the combination of mechanism and details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central vertical section of my apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the frame.

As shown in the present invention, A is a central strongly-supported king-post having truss-rods 2 with turnbuekles, by which the tension of the rods may be adjusted. These rods have their outer ends fixed at a distance from the king-post and the inner ends connecting with a suitable frame, within which the king-post is journaled. This post is preferably provided with ball-bearings at the bottom and top, so as to insure its easy revolution. Upon the top of the post is a hub, as at 3, and above this hub extends a mast et.

5 represents beams or truss-frames, the inner ends of which lit depressions or cavities in the hub 3, as shown at 6, so that the trussbeams may move freely about these pivotal points.

Surrounding the king-post as a center and at some distance therefrom is a verticallychanneled guide. This guide may be constructed in any suitable or desired manner. In the present case it comprises a series of parallel vertical staves 7, between which the truss-beams 5 project, each beam being movable between a pair of these vertical staves. The staves may be conveniently connected at the top and bottom with rings, as at 8, which hold them firmly in position, and in order to relieve any friction between the truss-beams and these staves I employ rollers 9, which are carried by the truss-beams and travel between the staves with the vertical reciprocations of the beams. In a circle intermediate between the inner and outer ends of the truss-beams is fixed a serpentine track 10 of any suitable construction. This track is made with an unequal number of elevations and depressions, the number of elevations and depressions being such that when one of the arms 5 is at the summit of one of the elevations the opposite arm will be at the bottom of the depression. Thus each opposed pair of arms will act as a seesaw, and the end of one of the arms rises in unison with the depression of the opposite arm. Only such number of elevations and depressions should be employed as will produce this opposing in order to perfectly balance the apparatus and maintain the weight substantially upon the central hub and kingpost. Rollers 11 are carried by the trusses 5 at such points that they will travel upon the serpentine track 10 and will thus relieve the friction.

The apparatus may be revolved by any suitable mechanism and by means of any available motor. In the present case I have shown the lower ring in of the guide as having fixed to it a spur-gear .12, which may be engaged by a spur-pinion 13, and this pinion, mounted upon a vertical shaft, carries one member of a beveled gear 1%,through which motion is transmitted from the motor by means of a pulley, as at 15; but it will be understood that various mechanical equivalents of this driving mechanism may be substituted, these being within the province of any competent mechanic.

Upon the outer ends of the truss-beams 5 are the load-carriers 16, which may be in the form of baskets, as here shown, or as seats of various descriptions. These load-carriers are suspended from the outer ends of the beams and are preferably connected in a circle by intermediate cords or other equivalent,

as at 17, and they may also be connected with .pins on the truss-frames interior to the carriers by other cords or connections, as at 18.

'The cords 17 insure the travel of the seats at substantially the same distance apart, so that the inertia of starting and stopping will be properly distributed throughout the circle, and the connections 18 will prevent the seats from swinging out too far by centrifugal action when the apparatus is in rapid motion I have here shown standards or posts 19, carried by the truss-frames 5, extending upwardly, and these serve for the attachment of electrical wires, as at 20, which may be disposed in any desired manner and adaptedto carry incandescent lamps. Tie-rods 21 are suitably disposed extending between each pair of radially-opposed truss-frames to prevent any sagging, and to assist in transmitting the weight to the central support.

The operation will then be as follows: The apparatus being set in motion, it will be seen that each pair of truss-frames, with their seats or carriers, will be raised and depressed in unison and independent of every other pair as they pass over the vertical serpentine track 10, and it will be seen that the lights or ornamental attachments carried by the wires 20 will in the same manner be independently oscillated, so that at night and at a little distance apart all these series of lights will be moving in different directions and at different rates of speed, appearing to cross each other and producing an attractive effect.

The truss-rods or beams are made, as shown in the drawings, with the greater depth between the upper and lower bars at a point approximately in line with the rollers 11, and they are sufiiciently spaced vertically between the guides 7 to insure their retention in a substantially vertical position, being prevented from tilting to one side or the other, while the guide-rollers 9 reduce the friction to a minimum.

By means of weights 22, adjustable upon the arms 5, the weights carried in the seats or baskets 16 can be counterbalanced, and

the apparatus will thus consist of pairs of radial arms carrying weights at the outer ends and so connected by posts 19 and the tie-rods 21 that each radially-opposed pair acts independently as a centrally-supported tiltable unit, and the serpentine track only acts on the arms to give impulses by which the arms are alternately tilted up and down, but with substantially no weight carried upon the track.

Having thus described my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. An apparatus comprising a vertical revoluble central support, radial arms pivoted at their inner ends to said support, a serpentine track surrounding the support, antifrictional attachments on said arms adapted to travel on said track, vertical guides embracing intermediate portions of the arms and guiding said arms in their rising and falling movements, means connecting diametrically-opposed arms to tilt in unison, burden-carriers suspended from the arms, and shiftable weights on the arms for counterbalancing the weights carried in the burden-carriers.

2. An apparatus comprising a vertical revollubl'e central support, radial arms pivoted thereto and extending oppositely in pairs from said support, a serpentine track having elevatrons upon one side correspondingwith the depressions upon the opposite side, guides for the intermediate portions of the arms said guides consisting of an annular series of spaced vertical staves and means rigidly connecting their upper ends, seats or carriers attached to the outer ends of the arms, and mechanism by which the arms and guides are revolved in unison.

3. An apparatus comprising a vertical revoluble central support, truss-frames having inner ends pivoted to said support and projecting in pairs in opposite directions therefrom, a serpentine track, the elevations upon one side of which correspond with the depressions upon the opposite side, a guide for the intermediate portions of the arms said guide consisting of pairs of spaced staves and upper and lower rings connecting the entire series of staves, said staves and rings revoluble with said center, seats or carriers suspended from the outer ends of the truss-frames, and tierods connecting said frames from above.

4. A vertically guided revoluble central support, vertical guides disposed in a circle about said support and turnable therewith, truss-rods having the inner ends pivoted to the support extending radially outward between the vertical guides, a fixed serpentine track having elevations upon one side correspondin g with the depressions upon the other, and rollers journaledupon the trussrods adapted to travel upon the track whereby each pair of rods are tilted in unison, seats or carriers suspended from the outer ends of the 1 truss-rods, supports extending upwardly and adapted to carry illuminating-lights, said supports tiltable in unison with the arms whereby the lights are given an oscillating movement, and tie-rods connecting each opposed pair of truss-rods with corresponding supports.

5. In a horizontal revolubl e apparatus, a vertically-supported turnable central post, having vertical surrounding guides, said guides consisting of pairs of spaced staves and upper and lower rings connecting the entire series of staves radially-disposed truss-rods pivoted to the central support extending between the guides having seats or carriers at the outer ends, a fixed serpentine track, and rollers upon the truss-rods intermediate of their ends adapted to travel upon the track,

IIO

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing \vit- I0 nesses.

MAX L. SGHLUETER.

\Vitnesses:

G. F. CALBERG, HENRY LEFFMAN. 

